Berkley Alive Minnows

[Jawzenator]

I have used these the last couple of times out (targetting crappie) with limited success. I put the two and a half inchers and a jighead and cork. Slowly retrieve. I have also used Roadrunners and Beetle Spins. I think I need to invest in some tube jigs and live minnows.

Does anything beat live minnows for crappie fishing?

Also when using a tube jig, what kind of action do you use to retrieve them. Or do you just put them on a bobber and slowly retrieve?

[SenkoSam]

I use a bait I designed which I call the spoon minnow (originally using a spoon as a mold).The tail is super thin and flutters with the least bit of angler action making it the best finesse bait I've ever cast.

I rig it on a 1/16 or 1/32 collarless jighead, under a bobber or cast straight out using light braid or good mono like Trilene or Suffix (8# test or less).
Crappies pound it as do gills, perch, bass and pickerel.

Of all the hundreds of grubs, tubes and minnow immitators (Fin S Fish) I own, this one leaves them all behind.

Too bad they are so time consuming to make or I'd mass produce them for sale. Even a three year old could catch fish on them!

As far as the baits you use, go light and slow. Fish get turned on when a soft plastic is worked in their faces longer. Last Sunday I used a XRap suspending Shad and crappie clobbered it as long as I jerked and long paused it repeatedly.

Good luck

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[Habit]

I would have to agree with SenkoSam, Fin-s fish from lunker city is by far the best plastic replica of a minnow that you will ever use. Would you believe I been using the same piece for the past 3 years lol. I bought more, but apparently I won't be needing them any time soon. The 2.5 inch ones are the best with a extremely lite jig head. I caught hundreds of fish on the same piece, Bass, pickerel, crappie, bluegill, hickory shad, etc...

You can work them with or without a bobber if your fishing for crappie, I prefer without.  Just work them extremely slow, give them a tiny jerk here and there, and you will catch hundreds of them, trust me. Berkley alive is BS, It does work, but it will not increase how often a fish strikes, if you can't catch a fish all day, that only means they don't want to be caught, lol. Its all about temperature and hotspots.

[classic242]

jawzenator,
I too tried the Berkley Alive minnows with limited sucess, I went back to my real minnows and curly tail jigs. When the bite is really on I can catch 4 to 5 crappie with minnows to a guy using jigs 1 to 2. I have done it time after time, it is hard to beat what crappie eat, which is mainly made up of river minnows and small threadfin shad around here where I live in Alabama.